Via WNBC comes Eliot Spitzer's first interview since taking office; some highlights are:

PRESSMAN: There are many issues involving governing New York I want to get to right away, but as a result of your overwhelming victory in November, you are the titular head of the Democratic Party and there seems to be some bickering or many civil war going on at the moment between the Hillary Clinton forces and the Obama, Barack Obama forces with the two sides exchanging charges. Mr. Geffen in Hollywood saying that Hillary Clinton doesn't have the gravitas to really lead the country and unify the party, and opposite charge being that he is not--that is Obama not waging a campaign that is built on unifying Democrats and taking over the country.

Gov. SPITZER: Right.

Translation: "No, I am not taking that bait".

PRESSMAN: So I'm wondering, do you feel that there is a need to get this party unified and especially in New York?

Gov. SPITZER: Well, let me say this. I think Democrats are by nature fractious at times. We do agree virtually all the time but disagree with some, vehement, sometimes, over mostly substance. But the nature of politics is there are moments that erupt like this. But I think the essential point is much more fundamental. The Democratic Party, by November of 2008, when there's a presidential election, when the future of this nation will be at stake, we will be unified, we will have a candidate whom we can support, and I think most people feel right now that the change in direction that we need nationally bodes very well for a Democrat being elected president in 2008, and that's what we look forward. Those who have looked at the course of the nation under the six years of President Bush, by and large, have concluded this is not the type of leadership and the direction we want to be moving in, so a shift will be what we move towards. And most of this, all of the sort of momentary disagreements, I think, will be long forgotten.

Translation: "Try as you might, I am not getting into this." More, on healthcare reform:

PRESSMAN: Will you take care of these workers if they get displaced?

Gov. SPITZER: Sure, we do. Sure. One of the things that is essential in the restructuring we're talking about, there was something called the Burger Commission, and there are some hospitals that everybody agrees should be closed, because we should not be investing in the bricks and mortar, we should be investing in health care for people, for patients. Workers will have the opportunity to move to other jobs. This is the way we are doing it. So there is a lot of kicking and screaming by those who have cut back room deals, who do not have the interest of the public in their eye.

PRESSMAN: You include Governor Pataki, who negotiated those deals?

Gov. SPITZER: You know, the deals that were cut, I am intensely critical of. Back in 2002, when some of the deals thereafter, they were deals that were driven by an expediency and not by what I would consider the need, the desperate need to reform health care. It is both a medical need to reform health care...

Translation: No, I am not going to give you the easy headline, "Spitzer disses Pataki." On the legislature:

PRESSMAN: The battle that you've been having for weeks with the legislative leaders, Bruno and Silver, is that over now or are you going to continue to proceed to try to unseat those legislators that are not friendly to your program?

Gov. SPITZER: Well, let me phrase it this way. There is a cultural shift that I'm trying to have Albany embrace, one that says, wait a minute, let's not do inside, back room political deals. Let us ask ourselves what is in the best interests of the public. And I've traveled across the state over the past week, disagreeing rather vehemently at times with some of the decisions made by the legislature, and I will continue to articulate my disagreements because that is how you get change. Now, having said that, none of this is personal. I get along very well with Joe Bruno, with Shelly Silver, with the others. This is not a personal disagreement or dislike. You have to deal with people and work with them and I do that all the time.

On the steamroller:

PRESSMAN: James Taylor...

Gov. SPITZER: It is--it is--it's a way to express things to the public.

PRESSMAN: James Taylor popularized the song, "Steamroller." Well, I'm a baby--I'm bound to run all over you. Is that your motto?

Gov. SPITZER: Well, you know, I used that metaphor one time and I think people kind of latched onto it. Here's the thing. Sometimes, you have to be forceful. You always work with people, you always negotiate. We're sent in there to do the people's business. And so, you know, whatever the metaphor, I think people see and I believe deeply in the convictions that I bring to this effort and will continue to work very hard.

Translation: No, I am not backing off.

Interesting. I don't see any indication in this interview that Eliot is anything other than focused on his agenda; that would be the one that got him elected with 69% of the vote.

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